37 Barbican Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan

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1 Townscape analysis Northern character sub-area Key characteristics Topography rises to north and west Poorly defined boundary to north (Bretonside bus station) Notte Street/Vauxhall Street a main route through Conservation Area and barrier to movement Large amount of historic floorscape still surviving Limited public space Relatively few large individual buildings apart from the Guildhall, St Andrew s church and the Magistrates Courts Groups of post-war flats, especially north of Notte Street have a spread footprint, but remain inward looking, with little recognition of the historic pattern. 37 Barbican Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan

2 Barbican Conservation Area Townscape analysis Southern character sub-area Key characteristics Topography rises to south and west Walls of Citadel form strong boundary and barrier to south west. Large amount of historic floorscape still surviving Limited greenspace Large amount of underused public space at south end of Conservation Area Groups of post-war flats, especially south of Lambhay Hill, have a spread footprint but remain inward looking, with little recognition of the historic pattern. 38 Barbican Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan

3 General condition Overall the Barbican Conservation Area is in good condition. There is very little outright dereliction, the harbourside area is vibrant and well-used with almost no empty or rundown properties, and most of the residential areas are in satisfactory condition. Available development sites are readily taken up. Poor quality and underused townscape is mainly confined to the southern side of Bretonside facing the bus station, and to the car parks and quays at the southern end of the Conservation Area. Otherwise the area suffers from the usual problems of inappropriate additions, alterations and repairs to historic buildings, and inappropriate additions, alterations and repairs to the public realm, such as the inappropriate repair of setted surfaces in places. An indicator of the general condition of the built heritage is the number of buildings and structures that are considered to be at risk, either because of poor or little or no maintenance, or because they are vacant or underused. An audit of Buildings at Risk in Plymouth in 2006 identified 23 buildings or structures within the Barbican Conservation Area considered to be at risk. These are listed in Appendix 4. While a useful indicator of historic buildings and structures that may be at risk of deterioration, it is important to understand also that this represents only a very small proportion of the total number of buildings within the Conservation Area, and that only five of these properties were considered to be in the highest categories of risk. Buildings may appear on the BAR Register simply through vacancy. Nevertheless one of the purposes of this appraisal and management plan is specifically to identify those aspects of the Conservation Area which need improvement, and these are identified in the following sections. Negative factors The main factors which detract from the special quality of the Conservation Area are: 1. inappropriate or insensitive development 2. the line of Bretonside/Vauxhall Street/Notte Street which acts as a real barrier to pedestrian movement and divides the Conservation Area 3. underused open space 4. the cumulative effect of poor quality shopfronts, advertisements and domestic improvements. 1. Inappropriate or insensitive development The most significant are: Bretonside Bus Station. While Bretonside provides a clear northern boundary to the Conservation Area, the rears of the buildings fronting How Street are ill defined and include a large car park. The area is dominated by the poorly designed 20 th century bus station, which has a very negative effect on this part of the Conservation Area. The Bretonside frontage between Palace Street and Looe Street. These buildings are poorly designed and provide a very weak building line and poor boundary to the Conservation Area at this point. The Magistrates Court. This is a particularly intrusive development that cuts across an historic street, and compromises the views and settings of St Andrew s church, Yogge s House, and the Merchant s House, three of the most important historic buildings in the Conservation Area. 39 Barbican Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan

4 Tin Quay House and Sutton Jetty are both undistinguished structures which contribute nothing to the otherwise attractive character of Sutton Wharf and Vauxhall Quay, though their role in the business of the Marina and thus in maintaining the vitality of the harbour is recognised. Nevertheless, their removal and/or sensitive redevelopment would significantly improve the appearance of this prominent part of the Barbican Conservation Area. The flats at the junction of Vauxhall Street and Basket Ope. This is a very mundane group that does not contribute positively to the character or appearance of the Parade, one of the focal points of the Conservation Area. Nos. 1,2 and 4 Hoegate Street and 64a Notte Street are undistinguished modern structures that contribute nothing to the Conservation Area. Hanover Court, John Sparke House, and Nos New Street. These modern developments do not respect or reflect the sensitive environment of New Street, which is one of the key historic streets in the Conservation Area. Mayflower Visitor Centre. The design of this building is unsympathetic to this key location in the Conservation Area. The public toilets on Barbican Quay are an intrusive and poorly designed block in a particularly high profile position. 2. The line of Bretonside/Vauxhall Street/Notte Street This is the primary route through the Conservation Area. It is a busy road that provides a very effective barrier to pedestrian movement, particularly between the northern and southern half of the Conservation Area, and it also divorces the northern part of the area from the harbour. Bretonside performs a similar function at the northern boundary of the Conservation Area, and backed by the bus station, presents a very effective barrier between the Conservation Area and the modern city centre. 3. Underused open space Commercial Wharf, Phoenix Wharf, Elphinstone Wharf, and Lambhay Hill car park. While these areas are used for a variety of activities, ranging from sailing instruction to car parking, the overall impression of this area is one of drabness and underuse, with a sense of lost opportunity for new uses and improved pedestrian access. 4. Poor quality shopfronts, advertisements and domestic improvements. The Conservation Area suffers from the usual rash of poor quality shopfronts, unsightly and/or inappropriate advertisements, and modern improvements especially inappropriate and unsightly modern plastic doors and windows that scar most historic areas to some degree. This should be controlled more rigourously. Neutral factors There are also a number of buildings and areas which, while not contributing to the overall quality of the Conservation Area, do not detract to the same degree as those identified as negative. Enhancement may suffice to improve these neutral buildings and areas. The following are considered to have an overall neutral effect on the character and appearance of the Conservation Area. The 20 th century flats along Palace Street and Stillman Street and on the north side of Vauxhall Street contribute little to the character of the Conservation Area. 40 Barbican Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan

5 No.29 Bretonside sits awkwardly in the street, though it does not impact significantly. Any redevelopment opportunities should be used to enhance this site. New developments at Discovery Wharf and 130 Vauxhall Street impact on the Conservation Area because of their size and height, though they do not particularly detract. The Exchange Street car park provides one of the few areas of open space within the Conservation Area, and views of the harbour from Vauxhall Street, but its use as a car park does not enhance the Conservation Area. The post-war flats between Castle Street and Lambhay Hill contribute little to the character of the Conservation Area, though their location means that they do not have a major negative impact on the wider Conservation Area. 41 Barbican Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan

6 Summary of special interest The Barbican is one of the key historic areas of Plymouth, the core of the historic town, characterised by its historic working harbour, its historic street pattern, its diversity of building styles and ages, and by the vibrancy created by its many mixed uses. The Conservation Area contains a large number of distinctive historic buildings. These include stone-built merchants houses of the late 15 th /16 th century onwards, some with elaborate timber and plaster jettied fronts and ground floor shops; many buildings of similar date but with later fronts, and a number of fine houses, shops and pubs of the 18 th and 19 th centuries. There are also a number of large limestone warehouses that are very characteristic of the area, as well as the important terraces of historic local authority housing on Looe Street and How Street. The range and mix of buildings is critical to the sense of place and history that is so much a part of the character of the Barbican. The Conservation Area also contains a large number of Plymouth s most important individual historic buildings and structures including St Andrew s Church, the Prysten House, the Merchant s House, the Gin Distillery, the old and new Customs Houses, and the historic listed quays and piers of the harbour itself. The richness of the built heritage can be readily appreciated by the fine views along many of the streets, particularly New Street, Southside Street, Looe Street and the Parade, and the rears of the historic buildings on New Street can be viewed to good effect from the Elizabethan Gardens. The character of the Barbican is not only defined by its built heritage. Its historic associations with key events from British history, notably the Spanish Armada, and with famous historic individuals including Drake, Hawkins and Raleigh, all add to its distinctive and powerful sense of place. The Barbican remains very much a working harbour, for despite the ranks of moored leisure craft, working fishing boats still tie up alongside the Parade quays and Barbican Quay, and the old Fish Market looks directly across to its much busier successor. The Barbican retains a tremendous sense of community with generations of families living and working in the area, and it is important that this sense of community and its contribution to the Barbican s unique character is properly taken into account when considering future proposals for the area. It is a place with a genuinely special and unique character. 42 Barbican Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan

7 Issues There are a number of issues that impact on the Barbican Conservation Area. The most significant of these include: The need to ensure that all buildings and other structures within the Barbican Conservation Area that warrant statutory protection are identified and appropriately designated. Statutory protection has been shown to be an effective means of helping protect the special interest of Conservation Areas. Many buildings and structures in the Conservation Area are already protected, so it is unlikely that this will amount to a significant requirement. The need to provide other effective means of protection to those elements of the built heritage that make the Barbican Conservation Area special, but which may not warrant statutory protection. The retention and enhancement of historic street surfaces and furniture is particularly important in this respect, and there have been instances where inappropriate repair or reinstatement has caused damage. The need to deal with buildings suffering from disrepair and disuse, particularly those identified in the Buildings at Risk Register. The need to ensure that the existing mixed use of the area is maintained and encouraged, especially those uses relating to the waterside setting. The enhancement and reuse of historic structures along the waterfront is integral to this aim in conjunction with the creation of new areas of public space. This will require sensitive and imaginative approaches within the Barbican Conservation Area. The need to improve the public realm, parts of which are dominated by traffic, traffic management infrastructure, and vehicle parking. This is intrusive along some of the historic streets, particularly around the Parade and along Southside Street. Effective means of managing this needs to be explored, although it is expected that this would be undertaken only as part of a wider strategic approach to the whole issue of car access and car parking in the Barbican. The need to preserve and enhance views into, and out of, the Conservation Area, including the wider setting and backdrop of Sutton Harbour. The need for improvement to a number of specific sites, especially areas of inappropriate modern development. These are identified in the Opportunities section below. The need to recognise and understand the archaeological importance of the area and ensure that all development sites where the archaeological resource is threatened are managed appropriately. 43 Barbican Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan